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Cassandra
) |death= |nationality=Araluen |aliases= |occupations=Princess of Araluen (formerly) Queen Regent of Araluen |gender=Female |height= |hair=Blonde |eyes=Green |skin= |family=Queen Deborah (grandmother) † King Oswald (grandfather) † King Duncan (father) Queen Rosalind (mother) † Horace Altman (husband) Madelyn Altman (daughter) |pets= |mentors= |apprentices= }} Cassandra was the crown princess, and later Queen Regent, of Araluen. She was the daughter of King Duncan and Queen Rosalind and the only heir to the throne of Araluen. She was married to Horace Altman. During the Second Araluen Civil War, she went by the alias Evanlyn to protect herself from Morgarath and his army of Wargals, and was known by both this name and her birth name. History Rosalind went into labor one month early, successfully giving birth to Cassandra. Aware she was on her deathbed, Rosalind had Crowley Meratyn promise to keep her daughter safe. After they laid Rosalind to rest in a small cemetery, Crowley rode with Cassandra to Castle Araluen. There, she was united with her father, King Duncan. Although devastated by the loss of his wife, he finds a measure of happiness with his daughter. When Morgarath's army began to reassemble, Duncan decided to leave Cassandra behind in Castle Araluen with his mother, Queen Deborah. Cassandra had been visiting Princess Madelydd of Celtica just before the war between Morgarath and Araluen started. When her escort was attacked, Evanlyn, Cassandra's maid, and Cassandra herself nearly escaped to the border. However, Evanlyn's horse stumbled, and she urged Cassandra to leave her behind. When she met up with Gilan, Will, and Horace, she assumed the identity of her maid, claiming that her lady was the daughter of Lord and Lady Caramorn. Although Gilan was suspicious about her story and identity, he decided not to press her on the matter. He separated from the group to alert King Duncan about the developments in Celtica. The party encountered a group of wargals and decided to follow them, leading to the discovery of a bridge across the fissure. They three decided to burn it, thus preventing a surprise attack from Morgarath. Although they're able to burn it, Will and Cassandra were left stranded on the wrong side and captured by a group of Skandians. After Morgarath's defeat, the Skandians sailed back to Skandia, taking Will and Cassandra with them as slaves. During her and Will's stay on Skorghijl after they were captured, she developed a close relationship with him but occasionally became annoyed. Cassandra told Will her true identity which stunned him, after which she proudly informed him that they could be ransomed by the King, but their hopes of freedom were dashed when Slagor's ship, Wolf Fang, ''arrives at the island and he tells Erak that Oberjarl Ragnak has made a Vallasvow against King Duncan and his family. This meant that if Cassandra's identity was discovered she would be killed ruthlessly. After they were taken back to Skandia, the two were given as slaves to the Skandian Great Hall, Cassandra a kitchen slave and Will a yard slave. As a slave, Will suffers greatly and becomes addicted to warmweed. Erak pities them and gave them a pony, and with that, helped both of them escape. On the way, Cassandra nurses Will back to health after from his addiction to warmweed, a treacherous drug, and takes them to a cabin in the midst of the snowy forest. At the end of the book she spots a Temujai warrior in the forest but doesn't realize who he is. She arrives back at the cabin to find Will recovered from his addiction to her great delight and relief. In the fourth book she and Will are staying up in the cabin in the mountains and spring is fast approaching; this means their future is uncertain because if any Skandians happen to come hunting and find the cabin the two will be taken back in to captivity. While hunting in the forest Cassandra is attacked and captured by a Temujai and taken back to a scouting parties camp. After arguing, the Temujai decide to kill her. One of the soldiers approach with his sword to do so but is suddenly hit by an arrow which Will has shot from a hunting bow back at the cabin. Will had tracked Cassandra after she hadn't come back to the cabin. One of soldiers tries again to kill her but out Horace and Halt suddenly appear, and they quickly end the conflict. She later takes an active part in the battle against the Temujai, helping Will and Horace with directing the archers which Halt is initially displeased with before realizing that his apprentice is right in letting her take a more active part in the battle. After Ragnak dies, the Vallasvow is lifted against her, leaving her free to reveal her true identity with no fear of being killed. Back in Araluen, she resumes the life of a Crown Princess but this creates a rift between her and Will, who is unsure how to treat her anymore. She tries to sort this out by giving Will the oppertunity to become a Royal Scout, which means he will be based at Castle Araluen and have a higher status as Royal Scouts are usually only from wealthy or upper-class backgrounds. Will declines this however, knowing that he is meant to be a Ranger and Cassandra takes this badly. However, she finds herself growing closer to Horace who doesn't mind the fact she is a princess being used to formalities in his life as a knight. Cassandra is a key character in ''Erak's Ransom, being one of the Araluens chosen to deliver the money for Erak to be set free. Her true skill is with a sling which is revealed in this book, along with her knowledge in politics. She manages in unmasking the man who claims to be a Wakir (a leader of an area) to be a normal accountant. During the execution, she bravely stood up to the executioner who was about to kill her. The Tualaghi soldiers were used to (and happy with) people begging for mercy or cowering on fear when placed in such a position. Instead, Cassandra simply waited silently fo death - which luckily never happened. In the conflict afterward, she was able to take out Toshak's horse using her sling-belt and a marble from her necklace. This eventually leads to Erak defeating and killing him. She also injured many of the Tualaghi soldiers during the fighting with her sling, including Yusal, the leader of the Tualaghi, giving him a memory loss and reducing him to a "drooling idiot", which she has some misgivings about. Cassandra plays a major role in the tenth book. She, with the company of Will, Alyss, Halt, and Selethen, travel to Nihon-Ja. She befriends Emperor Shigeru, and wants to help in the fight against the uprising. Cassandra and Alyss devise a plan to help their friends: travel in a kayak, from the fortress they reside in over the great lake towards the land of the Hassanu, to ask them for help in the battle. The Hasanu want to help, but they do not manage to because of their superstition; they believe there are evil spirits in the forest surrounding the great lake. Alyss and Cassandra go into the forest to hunt these so-called "spirits". They find instead a large Snow Tiger, which was supposed to have left those regions years prior. The snow tiger, or Kyofu (The Terror), is killed by a stab wound inflicted by Alyss and being hit by three sling missiles shot by Cassandra. After travelling with Alyss and overcoming their rivalry, they become good friends. Toward the end of the book, Horace proposes to Cassandra. They plan to marry as soon as they return to Araluen. In The Bridal Dance, she is married to Horace. Her life is threatened by two Genovesan Assassins, Will and Nils Ropehander save her life. Shigeru takes on the title of Patron-Sponser for the wedding and gives the two a place in Nihon-Ja which coincidentally lies close to his Summer Palace. The two quickly agree to give any profit gained from the castle and it's surrounding land to the people who have lost loved ones or been injured during the war against Arisaka. She later thanks Will and gives him a kiss on the cheek, Alyss smiles quietly to herself at this, realizing how far the two girls' relationship towards one another has progressed. It was revealed that she and Horace were expecting a child, though it is not revealed what gender the child will be. At the wedding she was the Maid of Honor and takes her place behind Alyss whilst Horace acts as the best man. Description Cassandra has gold-blond hair and is described as being "tomboyish", slim and not very tall. She is in quite good physical condition as well, having led an active life and keeping fairly fit. She is very determined, which also leads to her being stubborn; her and her father sometimes clash, neither willing to give way. Cassandra is also quite versatile and able to improvise. Though in earlier books her relatively sheltered upbringing caused her to act like a bit of a spoiled child, she soon overcame that. Skills *'Sling - '''In ''the Icebound Land Cassandra teaches herself to use the sling. She used to practice it as a child with her cousins but stopped using it after she had to start learning the skills of a princess instead of running wild. Cassandra continues to use it throughout the course of the next few books until she is very skilled and accurate. *'Fencing - '''Cassandra can be lacking in coordination and technique when it comes to fighting with a sabre as shown ''the Emperor of Nihon-Ja, but she does make up for it in enthusiasm. *'Negotiating - '''during Erak's Ransom, Cassandra displayed a talent for negotiating, and retaining a clear mind in situations where other might have become confused. *'Needlework- 'As a princess, Cassandra found it necessary to learn needlework (even if she didn't want to). She puts this to good use in ''the Emperor of Nihon-Ja, using her talent to adapt to various situations she finds herself in. Notable Relationships Horace Altman In the Burning Bridge the two become good friends, Horace admiring the princess and she in turn admiring him. Their relationship deepens when they return to Araluen. Horace sees a lot of the princess, having been posted at Castle Araluen, and she in turns sees a lot of him. Somewhere along the line the two fell in love and in the Emperor of Nihon-Ja Horace proposes to Cassandra who promptly accepts. In the Lost Stories it is revealed that Cassandra is going to have a baby. The child, a girl named Madelyn, is the first female ranger and Will Treaty's first apprentice. Will Treaty She becomes very close to Will throughout the course of the Icebound Land and seems to fall in love with him, but later she realizes that he doesn't love her the way she loves him and instead, realizing this, starts to become more closely aligned with Horace and the two fall in love though Horace is a little bit slower on the uptake with regard to their relationship than her. Alyss Mainwaring She and Alyss have a rather prickly relationship initially. Alyss worried that the princess may be in love with her boyfriend (Will). This is finally resolved in the Emperor of Nihon-Ja and the two become close friends. Being maids of honour to one another at each other's weddings. King Duncan She and her father are very close and he is proud of her daughter for all she has accomplished. The two often clash, though, having slightly stubborn and fiery temperaments. In Erak's Ransom, the two collide a few times, as Cassandra tries to develop her talents. So one day she can be a queen her father will be proud of. Halt O'Carrick She and Halt become good friends though he does sometimes get irritated with her and Alyss due to their prickly relationship and is glad when it is resolved in the tenth book. Halt accompanies and advises Cassandra when she is negotiating the ransom for Erak in Erak's Ransom. He is delighted when she and Horace get engaged at the end of the Emperor of Nihon-Ja and thinks they are a wonderful couple. References pl:Cassandra Category:Females Category:Characters Category:The Burning Bridge Characters Category:The Icebound Land Characters Category:Oakleaf Bearers Characters Category:Erak's Ransom Characters Category:The Emperor of Nihon-Ja Characters Category:The Bridal Dance Characters Category:And About Time, Too... Characters Category:Araluens Category:A New Beginning Characters Category:Featured Category:Rulers